Flat iron steak marinade

I used a store-bought barbeque sauce for my flat iron steak marinade. What could be easier?

Since I believe in using real ingredients, I look for sauces that are as basic as possible with no funky ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. So I recommend brands like Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce.

You’ll want to marinade the flat iron steak overnight to up to 24 hours before grilling.

Make sure to boil the heck out of any marinade you've used on raw meat. You want to kill any germs!

If you don't feel the flat iron steak marinade is safe, make an extra half batch to use for the dressing. Just reduce it over the stove, cool it down in the refrigerator, and then make your dressing just before you grill.

How to cook flat iron steak

The recommended doneness for flat iron steak is medium rare at around 135 F (60 C). Don’t forget to use your meat thermometer!

If it’s too rare, the steak is chewy. (I love rare steak, but not a too-tough-to-eat steak!) If you overcook the steak, it dries out and loses all its flavor.

I recommend grilling flat iron steaks over medium-high heat. Don't go as hot as possible unless you pick up a particularly thin cut that you can cook quickly.

When grilling, start with a quick sear before moving to a lower temperature to finish off to the desired doneness.

Remember to let the flat iron steak sit for a 5-10 minutes before slicing so the steak retains its juiciness. If you’re worried about it cooling down too much, tent it with aluminum foil and cover with a clean dish towel.

Putting the Flat Iron Steak Salad together

You can make this salad with just-off-the-grill steak. Or you can grill the steak and let it cool to room temperature – or even refrigerate it – and then carve it up.

I love steak salad both warm, room temperature and cold, so I’ll let you decide how you want to do the steps of grilling, salad preparation, and dressing preparation.

For example, you can make the salads and dressing ahead of time. Then later on just before mealtime, do the grilling, and so you’ll have a warm steak salad.

Or grill the flatiron steak and make the dressing the evening before, and put it all together for a Sunday brunch.

You can serve it with the dressing on it or on the side. (I like it on the side myself!)

If you’re making this for a romantic meal, you may want to all the prep ahead of time. Set the table, then do the grilling at the last minute.

More tips from This Mama Cooks!

I’ve started using minced garlic from a jar as a time-saving measure. (Now that I have a smaller kitchen, I don’t have the counter space to keep garlic and other produce in bowls as I did when I had a larger home.)

I find that 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic from a jar equals one fresh garlic clove, minced. I’ve read that some people find jar garlic is a little milder than fresh.

I don’t mind that it's milder and prefer the convenience. I also don’t have to deal with garlic cloves going bad or drying out.

These photos are gorgeous! It’s tempting me to board a plane to get to your house by lunchtime! I love this recipe and use of the sauce. Healthy and delicious for any occasion, not the least of which would be the Super Bowl tomorrow…..hmmmmm.